Prejudice in Maycomb County is alive and well, and in To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many victims of prejudice. To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is a beautifully and carefully orchestrated book that manifests the many struggles within society. Lee writes about Scout and Jem Finch, who grow up in Maycomb County, a sleepy town located in The South, during the 1930’s. Along with their friend Dill, Scout and Jem love to spy on their reclusive neighbor Boo Radley. Their father Atticus, a respected lawyer, is defending a black man by the name of Tom Robinson for alleged rape. Scout’s aunt, Aunt Alexandra, visits town to try and make Scout a lady and restore order to the household. The trial, and other types of prejudice expressed from the town, expose Scout and Jem to stereotypical …show more content…
The most prominent example of prejudice found in To Kill A Mockingbird, is prejudice against race. For the duration of the novel, racism is the theme that is most evidently found. This is because half of the novel focuses mainly on the Tom Robinson trial; and with the trial, comes an angry community full of hateful views. Cecil Jacobs implies, “My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an’ that nigger oughta hang from the water tank” (Lee 85). This quote is a reminder of the racism that portrays the South. Taking certain words from the quote such as, “My folks”, implies that racism is being taught generation after generation. The quote shows a direct link to the prejudice most of Maycomb's community has towards people of color. Cecil Jacobs furthermore states how white people discriminated against black people during the 1930’s. Bob Ewell, a witness in the testimony, and the father of Mayella Ewell, is a very racist person. In one instance, Bob describes Tom Robinson as a black, nigger, raping his Mayella. From this, there is evidence within the context that
In the book, and in everyday life, prejudice is often promoted and portrayed by those who are only a step above the lowest class or people who are part of the normal crowd against people who are different. When talking about the insulting name that Atticus is being called, he said “Ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody’s favoring Negroes over and above themselves” (Lee 108). It’s clear that he doesn’t support this type of vocabulary and he thinks that low people are prone to use it. In relation to low classes, an example is the Ewell’s treatment and vocabulary towards people who are one step lower than them like Tom Robinson. Another example of a majority against the minority is the treatment of the Finches.
“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird.” This quote explains how Mockingbirds are the most important symbol in this novel because without them there would be no good in the world. Harper Lee describes Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley as Mockingbirds in To Kill a Mockingbird. There are many occurrences in the novel where these three characters portray this symbol. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley are all metaphorically portrayed as mockingbirds because, Atticus is always the bigger person, Tom provides pleasure to people he encounters, and Boo looks out for the people of Maycomb.
Evil: I think that Bob Ewell's should be in this column. On pages 227-234 is where Atticus is asking Bob questions about what happened the night of Mayella’s “rape”. During this whole court case Bob was joking in the beginning about Mayella and it was clear that he doesn’t care much for Mayella. He also uses very inappropriate language in the courtroom. On page 230 Bob says “I got to the fence I heard Mayella screaming like a stuck hog inside the house.”
The only thing we’ve got is a black man’s word against the Ewells‘. The evidence boils down to you-did—I-didn’t. The jury couldn’t possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson’s word against the Ewells’—” (Lee 117). Every adult in Maycomb, who knows the ways of the town, knows that Tom has absolutely no chance of winning. The hate, and peer pressure to hate, is rooted to deep into the minds of the citizens, that they know the outcome even before the
Casey is in a situation that is very tough to judge. If I were in the position to suggest something to Casey I would tell her to befriend Mariah and defy the odds. Anyone can be in the same position as Mariah. As a person that has been that oddball or person that people don’t want to hang around, the best way to break someone out of that is just to simply talk to them. Casey might be surprised and even amazed at some of the things that Mariah has seen, experienced or thought of.
There is a disease that can change the way you behave and can spread from any person to you. This disease is racism. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird shows how racism is like a disease spreading and infecting people, changing how they behave and act, but just like a disease is curable. Using information and evidence from the novel I will show you how the novel does this. The disease is described below.
Pride holds strong inside of us whether good or bad people will always fight tooth and nail to keep their morals in check. The places we live, people we surround ourselves with and the choices we make are all impacted by our pride and when we take a moment to look around our own community, we see what matters to us and how our life forms around it. The southern town of Maycomb is no different, we see a story. A story of the precious dignity of the human race and the role it plays in a community.
Jem is Shaped and Influenced by Society Jem, Scout's brother, from To Kill A Mockingbird is shaped and influenced by his society around him. Jem lives in the small town of Maycomb which is deeply rooted in racial injustices. Jem is initially unaware of the racial division but quickly sees the harsh reality of the world. Jem tells Scout, “There are just some kind of men who-who’re so busy worrying about the next world they’ve never learned to live in this one” (Chapter 23).
Have you ever thought what would happen if one person started to believe in something that’s others didn’t. Then what if everybody else started to follow along. That reminds me of this game called Fortnite. One person started playing it then everybody followed along.
In the novel To A Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows that Prejudice is evil, and affects everyone whether or not they are a victim of it. One of many quotes that supports this claim would be when, Tom Robinson, a black man actused of rape, says he felt sorry for Mayella, a white girl that was supposedly raped by Tom. The author writes, “Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em-” (Lee, p.224)
“Your father’s no better than the nigger and trash he works for” yelled Mrs. Dubose to Jem and Scout as they walked back to their home (Lee 135). This quote demonstrates racism present in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The movie To Kill A Mockingbird presents two radically different interpretations of the storyline. The movie downplays racism that is being portrayed by scenes in the book. The film does this by omitting Calpurnia’s church, Tom Robinson getting shot 17 times, and a political cartoon of Atticus.
You’re not born with prejudice; you’re taught it. Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, was written about the late 1930’s, and showed the perspective of a little girl, Scout, while her father defends a black man in court. The South in 1926 was a place of racial prejudice, with discrimination and inequality. Growing up in the South nearly her entire life, Harper Lee was exposed to the racist prejudice against African-Americans. Harper Lee was born on April 28th, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee tells a story of racial prejudice during the Depression and how it is combated. The main development in the novel is that a Atticus, the father of Scout and Jem, has been appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a young white woman named Mayella. Many people in the town of Maycomb, particularly people involved with the case of Tom, have a negative attitude towards African Americans. Prejudice was a terrible issue in the South during the Depression, but Atticus Finch shows that racial injustice can be combated in two main ways, each having different levels of effectiveness.
In To Kill a Mockingbird prejudice in Maycomb is terrible. There are two major people in To Kill A Mockingbird that are prejudged severely. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are the two main people who are prejudged. There is also one other man who prejudged, Atticus Finch. All three of these men are mockingbirds.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us about the town of Maycomb County during the late 1930s, where the characters live in isolation and victimization. Through the perspective of a young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, readers will witness the prejudice that Maycomb produces during times where people face judgement through age, gender, skin colour, and class, their whole lives. Different types of prejudice are present throughout the story and each contribute to how events play out in the small town of Maycomb. Consequently, socially disabling the people who fall victim from living their life comfortably in peace. Boo Radley and his isolation from Maycomb County, the racial aspects of Tom Robinson, and the decision Atticus Finch makes as a lawyer, to defend a black man has all made them fall in the hands of Maycomb’s prejudice ways.